You Changed Me
by Remember Ember
Summary: He's not supposed to love. The other isn't supposed to know. ... Ethan doesn't think life can get better, but what happens when he runs into a mysterious blue-eyed stranger? CrankGamePlays and JackSepticEye
1. Prologue

A dark figure swung at another, wildly, knuckles colliding with his cheek. Dark green vapor seemed to appear with each step he took, each hit he made to his opponent.

The other just smiled hauntingly, jagged teeth visible as he took the hits with no problem. His eyes never left the others as he was pushed backward slightly by the other's anger. He would just laugh every time his feet slid back, before continuing forward and throwing his own swings and kicks that left a red smoke on their trail.

Powerful surges of magic from both soon lit up the room, blood red and dark, almost black, green mixing to create a terrifying array of color around them. The house they resided in shook with each hit, windows rattling and doors creaking.

"He doesn't know about them! About this! I never told him! I was never going to tell him!" the first one said, his blue and green eyes flashing with power as he punctuated each remark with another hit.

"Oh, so what were you going to do, plan on lying to him when he started asking questions? I didn't take you for that kind of man, Anti." the other, slightly taller and much bigger man replied with a chuckle. He pulled back and smirked at the other, pushing his red and black hair backward and dusting off his shirt.

"Don't call me that," Anti said, pulling back as well and pushing his hair back up. He straightened out his hooded shirt with a scowl.

"What, your name? Anti?" The taller said with a smirk, hands falling to rest at his sides lightly. His tone, though it might sound teasing to the ear of a passerby, was all too condescending to be just a light-hearted banter. It was meant to hurt, even if only in a small way.

"...Shut up Dark."

"About what? The fact that you're turning on your own kind? That you've betrayed everyone you've ever cared about? Your family? Me? Him?" Dark's voice was rough and loud. He was trying to make a point. Acting as though he might actually care what would happen if this got out.

"I said... shut UP! I haven't betrayed him! I will never betray him!"

A resounding thump could be heard and the house seemed to shake as Dark was pushed up against the wall. Anti's eyes burned and he sent out electric charges through his hands into the other's body, paralyzing him, if only for a few moments.

"Don't you ever say that to me again." Anti's voice was wavering, changing pitch and tone as if garbled and filled with static. Then he turned and went to leave the room, and Dark, behind him.

A deep chuckle arose from Dark, loud enough for Anti to hear. His next words were what glued him to his spot, though, hand on the doorknob and back turned.

"You think he'll still accept you? When he finds out who you really are? Or will you never let him know? Will you keep it from him forever?" The dark, foreboding chuckle rang out sending shivers down the spine of anyone in earshot.

"I... I won't tell him. He'll never know. He'll never need to know." Anti's voice could barely be heard as he spoke, his voice sounding softer than ever.

"You really think he'll never find out? You think you can hide this from him? And when he does find out, whenever he does, how do you think he'll feel?" Anti turned then, facing the other with a ferocious snarl, green flame like vapor surrounding his left eye in anger.

"Look, I've hidden it from him for years, Dark. Don't you get that? I can and I will keep this from him. I'm not telling him and putting him in more danger than he already is."

All that could be heard was Dark's laughter, as he sat against the wall. It was with a cold, malicious smirk, then Dark pushed himself up off the floor slowly, joints still a little stiff. He lifted his arm to point at the closet door next to him in the destroyed room.

"He already knows, Anti." And then he was gone in a dark cloud of smoke, and Anti was left not as alone as he'd hoped. For as he listened, he could hear another beings panicked breaths coming from the closet. He froze in his place, unable to move from the center of the room.

And the closet door began to open.


	2. A Cough in the Alley

Ethan sighed as he stepped out of the cafe. The sky was dark and the clouds were heavy with rain. He took a sip of his coffee and adjusted his beanie, before turning to wave at the girl behind the counter and leaving.

He trudged down the sidewalk as he made his way back home. He paused at the alleyway by his apartment. He could cut his travel time in half by headed down, or he could continue on his way in the light where he could see everything that was around him. He looked up at the sky with a frown.

"Might as well, it's gonna start raining either way I go at this point," he mumbled to himself, making the turn and pulling his jacket up around his neck. He couldn't help his eyes darting from left to right as he hummed quietly to himself in the dark.

He had frozen a few times in his walk as he tripped over things and his paranoia and anxiety would make him freeze in fear. But he refused to stop once the rain started, instead, he hurried his pace and pulled his jacket tighter.

He did freeze once more, though, just as he was about to turn on his street, a block away from his complex.

A string of wet, pain filled hacks had come from behind him. He half had just wanted to say he imagined the coughing too. That is until he turned around. There was a man there, faded green hair that was splattered with red blood, a bruised and bloodied face. The man's left arm looked like it had been cut in a line from the shoulder to the wrist. His hooded shirt was bloody and torn, as well as his pants.

Ethan swallowed harshly. The sight was enough to raise bile to his mouth, but he knew he couldn't just leave the guy.

"U-uh, oh gosh, s-sir?" he asked, inching closer to the bloody man resting on the wall. _How had I not seen him earlier?_ He questioned himself as he got down, lifting his hand to his face to keep the rain out of his eyes.

"Oh gosh, that... you l-look real bad. Should I- should I call the hospital?" he didn't wait for an answer before he was fumbling for his phone, pulling it out and trying to use it with his cold fingers.

"No!" the guy coughed, causing Ethan to look up at him in concern, "No, I... I just need to get cleaned up. Don't need the hospital," he said in a softer tone, his eyes opening a little through their puffy and bruised state. Ethan swore he stopped breathing for a moment. _His eyes..._

The man's eyes were a startling, practically inhuman, blue.

Ethan just nodded his head slowly, staring at the man's eyes. Then he stood and leaned down to help the man up. "I, uh, you can come to my place to clean up. Don't worry, no one'll ask questions about it," he said at the man's confused glance.

He shifted the guy, once they were both standing, so that Mister Bloody could lean on him as Ethan led the way. They stumbled towards Ethan's apartment, the little run-down building that was on the corner.

They entered with no problem, no one being down by the doors to question why Ethan was coming home with some bloody guy hanging off his arm. The elevator up was fine too, though Ethan did wince a little as the guy's hand tightened around his arm painfully when they started moving up.

"You sure you're alright?" Ethan asked as they stepped out of the elevator and slowly made their way down the hall to his apartment. Ethan let the blue eyes stranger lean against the wall as he unlocked the door, glancing at him occasionally as he fumbled with his keys and half frozen fingers.

"Yeh, jus' need to clean up..." the guy trailed off a moment before opening his mouth like he was going to say more, then he snapped it shut. Ethan shrugged to himself about it and finally got his door open.

"Yeah, you said that. Come on in, you can use the bathroom to, uh, clean up?" he said, letting the guy rest on him again as he led him towards his bathroom. He noticed the guy had a very prominent limp on his right side as he watched blue eyes push himself off Ethan and hobble towards the bathroom door.

Ethan was about to ask if he wanted anything else when the door was slammed shut in his face. He instantly heard mumbling's and muffled curse words leave from the other side of the door. Deciding not to be rude he turned away and headed to his room. He left the door open so he could hear if the guy needed help or came out, whichever came first.

...

Anti panted as he teleported himself to a random point somewhere on the opposite side of the globe of where he'd been. He winced as he stumbled back into a wall, his leg practically screaming in pain and his arm was burning.

"Fockin' Astaroth and- and th'at focking Dark bastard t'at fockin' leaves at trouble and focking fock!" he mumbled to himself, taking a quick look at his surroundings. He seemed to have landed in a decent spot. The sky was dark, the roads were empty, he was at the entrance of an alley...

He grimaced when he turned his focus from his surroundings to his injuries. He carefully slid down the wall, favoring his injured leg. He wouldn't be able to walk for the next few hours, at least not on his own, without help.

He whimpered quietly when a sharp pain went through his chest and arm. He could feel his head starting to get heavy and his body started to thrum with pain as the adrenaline began to wear off. He leaned his head back against the wall behind him and silently groaned in pain.

He started feeling light headed, probably blood loss. _Why on earth did I do that again? Oh yeah. Dark bet lunch that something good would come out of that. And I told him no good would come of it, teasing of course._

He chuckled dryly to himself but stopped when he heard footsteps approaching from down the alley. He stayed silent, not wanting to be found. But just in case he pulled up a 'mirage' of sorts. It turned his features more... human. His eyes one color, his teeth straight, skin more colorful and less dead looking.

He froze when a human stepped out from the alley, blue hair soaked and clinging to their head. _How far from home did I get?_ He wondered, a slight fear rising in his chest. Sure at night, in the dark, when he had a weapon and a partner humans were fine. But in broad daylight when the humans were at their 'strongest'?

No way was he dealing with one. He closed his eyes and hoped he wasn't seen or heard. And then, the dreadful, horrifying realization came. He had to cough. Badly.

He tried to swallow it down, but it didn't work very well. He opened his mouth to breath and try to quell it and let loose a very wet and painful string of coughs. His whole body hurt afterward. But he didn't take notice to it as all of a sudden grey-blue eyes were on his.

"U-uh, oh gosh, s-sir? ...Oh gosh, that... you l-look real bad. Should I- should I call the hospital?"

"No!" he said, looking up with eyes as wide as he could get them, then he swallowed and repeated himself, calmer, "No, I... I just need to get cleaned up. Don't need the hospital,"

"...I, uh, you can come to my place to clean up. Don't worry, no one'll ask questions about it," He looked up, confused. Was he willingly inviting him into his home? After acting so strange already, and looking like shit?

He didn't deny the offer though. For some reason, he felt he could. _Maybe I can have some fun with this one..?_ he wondered as he leaned heavily on the other. He wasn't sure if it was because his legs actually needed the support or if it was something else that kept him glued to the human's side.

When they arrived at a small building, furnished, though a little smelly, he blinked. The human lived here? It wasn't as... flamboyant as he'd been told human buildings were inside. But it wasn't the abandoned barn he slept in either.

He froze a little when they arrived at a small box with sliding doors. He swallowed nervously as they entered it. He watched as the human pressed some buttons on the wall and clutched his arm when the box they were in lurched.

He refused to show any other signs of weakness though.

"You sure you're alright?" the guy said as they exited the box, now in a completely different place. It looked similar though, same wall color and floor. But the walls were covered in doors. Lined up like cells down a long hallway.

Anti was suddenly leaned up against a door, and he watched the human fumble with a set of keys, sticking one in the door. He gulped a little. Had he made a mistake, trusting a human?

"Yeh, jus' need to clean up..." he said quietly as the door opened.

"Yeah, you said that. Come on in, you can use the bathroom too, uh, clean up?" the blue eyed human said, leading the way into the room, but still managing to somehow support Anti through the door.

He was led through the small, yet fairly nicely furnished, house-room-place to a bathroom, where he was then left alone. He limped himself further into the room before stopping and listening. He could hear a pair of retreating footsteps and he let out a breath he hadn't been aware he'd been holding.

He turned himself to the mirror and smiled, the image fading away. He hated mirages, either on himself or something else. They hurt to keep up for long, and being injured wasn't helping at all. He sighed as his shoulders relaxed and looked down at the sink.

He carefully turned it on and watched in fascination as _clear, clean water_ came pouring out. He stood there staring for a few moments. It was clear, translucent. It wasn't muddy or clouded or full of nasty things...

He soon found his hands in it, cupping it and bringing it to his mouth. It tasted almost sweet to his parched mouth. He let out a little moan as he drank the small bit he captured in his hands. It was refreshing compared to the shit he was forced to drink at home.

And it was right there. _Wait until Dark here's about this... he'd never believe it!_ He chuckled to himself and took another cupped mouthful of water. _It doesn't seem to run out... I should be able to use it to clean up. But first..._

Anti turned himself around slowly and inspected the room. The mirror opened up like a cupboard and was filled with bottles of white... tiny things. He closed the mirror and looked at the white... giant bowl next to the toilet. There was a shower head above it, so he figured it was some fancy shower thing.

Then he got curious and reached over to turn the shower on. The water where he, Dark and a couple others lived was nasty. It was always a little brown, and nearly always had some sort of bugs in it. If they weren't the way they were they all would have died from it, in his opinion.

He smiled wide when the water coming from the shower was as clear as the water in the sink. He froze when he heard a knock on the door.

"Hey, you alright in there? I heard something in here?" He sighed, his shoulders relaxing. He'd almost forgotten about the blue haired kid who'd brought him here and, presumably, owned the place. He went to the door and opened it a crack, after double checking his mirage had come back up.

"'M fine, kid... hey, can I use the shower?" he asked as an afterthought. His eyes widened a little though. He hadn't planned on asking, it wasn't the way he did things. Why on earth would he ask this human? It wasn't like the guy was intimidating or something.

He watched as blue hair just shrugged and nodded before turning away back down the hall. He couldn't help but continue watching cautiously as the kid made his way to a door at the end of the hall and stepped through. He quickly closed the door to the room he was in when blue haired turned towards him at the last moment.

He sighed and rubbed a hand down his face. He winced as he trailed over his cheek. _Must've broken the jaw, 'else it wouldn't hurt that much still._ He thought before he started to undress. He grimaced when he saw the state of his stomach. Hidden before by his jacket, the damage done could definitely be seen now.

His stomach was practically gaping. He swore he could see ribs in there too. He decided not to focus too much on it though, knowing he would heal. Though that one might leave a nasty scar in its place. Oh well, more battle wounds.

He sighed as he climbed into the shower after setting it up. He jumped a little at how _warm_ it was though, before sighing delightedly and relaxing right into it as his body stitched itself back together.

He closed his eyes as the water washed away the layers of blood and grime from his body. It felt... good. To actually get clean, fully clean. Not just half-assed in crummy water. He looked around him after a few moments, looking for soap. He scrubbed himself as clean as he could.

Afterward, climbing out of the shower, he felt more than refreshed. He grabbed a towel and dried himself quickly. Wrapping the towel around his waist he sighed and ran his hands through his hair. His eyes trailed down to his stomach again, and he grimaced. Again.

It looked better, now more of a large slash across his midsection than a giant extra mouth attached to his stomach. But it still worried him that it hadn't fully healed yet... _At least it's not bleeding anymore..._

He rolled his eyes at his actions and grabbed his clothes, changing back into them. He frowned as he realized how itchy and dirty they were. _Maybe I can get this guy to do the laundry before I kill him._ He thought with a small frown.

Then he checked himself over in the mirror, scowling as he pulled his human guise back up. Then, he turned to the door and pulled it open. Stepping into the hallway, he slowly moved down the hall to the room the blue haired guy had ducked into.

He swallowed, suddenly nervous. He nearly slapped himself. He never got like this! Why did _one_ human who helped him make him get like this! One human! ...then again... the guy did _help_. He let out a frustrated breath and opened the door quietly.

Then he leaned on the wall and watched the guy sitting on his computer. He went unnoticed for a while before smirking and clearing his throat.

"I'm done."


	3. Hello Stranger

"I'm done."

Ethan's head shot up, startled, and he spun around in his chair. He went to stand, but his spinning chair was still, well, spinning, and caught his side. He wobbled and had to take a few strangely placed steps to keep his balance as he held his arms out. When he was done wobbling, he stood up straight with a blush and awkward smile.

"U-uh... hi-" he cut himself off and started. The guy was clean now, free of blood and dirt. And damn, he looked good. He was well built, lean but toned. His hair was fluffy and green and his eyes were a startling blue. He shook his head a little and felt his face heat up enough that he felt like he was on fire. "U-uh..."

"Hi," the guy said, sounding awkward but confident. A strange mix, but Ethan couldn't help but let a small smile flit across his lips. He moved closer to the guy, so they weren't separated by an entire bedroom, and held his hand out.

"I, uh...wait. Weren't you, like, severely bleeding and bruised and shit?" he questioned, coming closer to look at the pretty guy. First, he grabbed his arms, looking them both over in suspicion. He was sure the man had had a long slice down his arm...

Then he lifted both his gaze and his hands to the guys face. He gripped his chin lightly, fingers brushing over stubble as he moved from side to side. He raised his hands to the other guys blue eyes and brushed his fingers over his eyelids, as to check for bruising or coverup.

After finding nothing he stepped back and crossed his arms with a sigh. He gave a wary glance at the stranger he'd invited into his home. "You're not some weird dude that gets horny off pain right? Or some serial killer or murderer using the guise of some wounded dude to find your victims?" he asked, keeping his voice surprisingly strong.

The guy blinked and shook his head with a chuckle. "Oh, no, no, no. I'm not t'hat... I've just. Hah. You wouldn't believe me if I told yeh," he said with another shake of his head. Ethan couldn't help but blink at him though.

"You're Scottish?" he asked with a surprised voice. He frowned a little when the guy's facial expression seemed to shift to one of surprise, and not the good kind, and a bit of anger.

"Scottish?! I'm fockin' Irish, not Scottish!" Green hair snapped and Ethan couldn't help but chuckle a little.

"Well sorry, Mister Irishman. All the accents sound the same to me," he said with another roll of his eyes and a cheeky smile. The Irishman's face quickly relaxed into an almost annoyed, but also fond, smile.

"I'll let ya off t'his time. But next time, it's a battle ta the death!" he said, loudly and teasingly. Ethan playfully scowled back and they stared each other in the eye for a good thirty seconds. That is before they both started to laugh at their antics.

Ethan then slid himself between green hair and the door, moving out into the hallway. He headed towards the kitchen, wanting to get a glass of water or something else to satisfy his dry throat.

He could hear the other guy following him, feel his crystal gaze on his back. But he didn't acknowledge it, instead, he entered the kitchen and opened the cup cupboard, reaching for a glass.

"Want anything?" he asked, shooting a small glance to the man now standing in his kitchen doorway, looking nervous. He smiled softly and turned to the sink, filling his own cup with water. Then he leaned against the counter with a raised brow.

"Well? You gonna answer or are you just going to stand there all day, Mister Irishman?" he asked with the slight tilt of his head. The guy shook his head as his eyes flitted around the room. It was as if he was looking for something, checking. His gaze would constantly jump back to Ethan though as if he was paranoid Ethan would jump him or something.

"You going to stand in the doorway all day or are you going to come in?" he asked again with another tilt of his head. He watched the guy smile and cautiously walk in, step by step. Soon he was next to Ethan, eyeing the kitchen knives with a strange look.

Ethan stepped between the Irishman and the knives, subtly, and smiled a little, again looking the man up and down for any signs of makeup. He could find none. He took a sip of his water and looked back up at the guys face.

"...how long were you out there? Why didn't you just go home?"

The guys seemed to freeze up at the question. His feet shifted slightly like he didn't want to admit something. Like he was nervous about the reaction it would get. Ethan gave him a soft smile in hopes it would get the other to relax.

"I don't have a home 'round here ta go ta. I dunno how long I was out t'here..." was the mumbled response he got after a while. Ethan's eyes widened a little as he turned to look the guy head on.

"Wh-what?" he croaked. _This beautiful man doesn't have a home? I'm guessing the 'round here' part means he left his home in Ireland for something he didn't get here. Or maybe he was kicked out? Maybe I'm over thinking things... perhaps he just meant he doesn't have a home this side of town?_

"What do you mean you don't have a home around here?" he asked, eyes wide as his mind filled with thoughts of this man.

"I mean just t'hat. No home. Not in this city, not on this continent. No-" the guy cut himself off and looked down. Ethan was sure he was going to say something else, but he didn't want to push it. He had only met the guy an hour or so before.

Even if it _did_ feel like he'd somehow known him for longer.

Ethan's thoughts were cut off by a loud rumbling, and he blushed a little. He couldn't help but clutch at his rumbling stomach in embarrassment. He sent a light glare over to the Irishman as said man started chuckling at him, his blue eyes flashing in amusement.

"Sh-shut up! I'm hungry is all..." he blushed darkly as he made his way over to the fridge, turning his back on his guest, "You want anything to eat?"

...

Anti didn't know why he let the guy's soft hands run across his arms and face, checking for wounds. Or why he played around with him, teasing like he would with Dark and the others... He didn't know why he didn't feel actual anger when the guy thought he was Scottish, unlike every other person on the planet who would dare say Scottish over Irish.

He didn't know why his stomach seemed to rebel against him every time blue hair looked at him, or why he couldn't help but smile when the other did. But he wanted to figure it out... and make it stop.

He heard a fairly loud grumbling in the room, coming from blue hairs stomach. He tried to stifle his laughter, but the small giggles were barely contained. And by blue hairs reaction, they were quite obvious.

He quickly contained himself as his eyes strayed to the knives on the counter, again. _They'd be so useful..._ he shook his head a little as blue hair turned away, from both him and the knives, and towards the... big white block thing.

He felt himself gravitate towards the knives. He could kill him now, use his apartment... perhaps killing him would stop his reactions to the other male? Maybe it was a spell? He wouldn't be surprised... it's not like he hadn't been bewitched before. Though, this didn't _feel_ like a traditional spell...

He wasn't sure if he was pulled from his thoughts or sucked deeper as his fingers wrapped around the handle of one of the blades. He was about to pull it out, to turn around and attack, to kill. But he stopped. The butterflies in his stomach grew in intensity as if they had multiplied.

His face felt tingly, as if the soft hands were back on his face, gentle and kind. His heart seemed to speed up and his hands began to sweat. He swallowed thickly as his hand slipped off the handle and he stepped back. His hands came up to his head and he tried to steady his breathing.

It had only been a few seconds. It must've been, for blue hair was still bent over, head in the opening of the giant block. He swallowed again and his eyes trailed over what he could see. His mouth went dry and his heart started beating faster again. He looked away, quickly, and cleared his throat.

"U-uhm... could I have that glass of water?" he asked. Blue hairs head came up quickly, body turning as if he was about to turn toward him. Instead, he hit his head on a shelf in the white block. Blues hands came up to the back of his head and Anti rushed forward, hands out.

An overwhelming fear for this man, even though he knew nothing could be very wrong. A bump at most. He just... his heart was screaming at him, _make sure he's alright._ So his hands were soon on his back, pulling him gently away and lifting him. His hands were running through the _soft_ blue hair, checking for bumps.

He swallowed again, unaware of how big his eyes were, how panicked he looked. He only calmed when he heard soft laughter beneath him. He looked down, confused, to the big eyes looking up at him from his chest.

"What?" he asked, but he only received the shake of a head. Then Blue hair was pulling away, and his arms felt empty. His fingers were twitching, wanting to run through the blue hair once more. He smiled awkwardly, "Sorry..." he mumbled.

"It's alright, just wasn't expecting that is all," blue hair responded before turning towards the kitchen sink and filling another glass with water, "So, do you uh- do you work?" he asked as he turned and handed Anti a glass. He couldn't help but marvel at the _clear, clean water._ He even lifted the glass to the light so he could look through it, and it worked! Though the image on the other side was fairly warped.

He pulled it down at the chuckles on the other side of the room with a blush. He quickly drank the glass and set it down on the counter, "S-sorry," he said with a slight stutter, "I'm, uh, not used to clear water, heh,"

He flinched a little as blue hairs eyes widened, but froze completely when small arms were wrapped around his waist, head nuzzled into his chest, "I'm sorry," could be heard, muffled as it was, from his chest.

He shook his head, before remembering he couldn't be seen from his chest, and he sighed a little, "'What are yeh doin'?"

"I'm hugging you."

"...why?"

"Cause you looked like you needed one."

"And how did you come up with that theory?"

"Because you were standing there all cute and wide-eyed and innocent."

"...I what?"

Blue hairs face pulled back and he looked up with wide eyes. Both their faces were red, blue hairs from saying it and Anti's for being called cute.

"S-sorry, heh... I m-meant, uh..."

"You really think I'm cute?" Anti cut off his trailed off 'try to fix it' sentence with a soft voice. He knew the guy was really only calling his image 'cute', but it was close to his actual appearance... and a tingly warmth crawled through his abdomen as he thought about it. It wasn't bad though, it was... comforting, pleasant. Strange too, but not bad.

Blue hairs head nodded slowly, face as red as a firetruck, and he tried to pull away slowly. Anti blushed harder as well and he averted his gaze a bit. But as he did so, his arms, which had wrapped around blue hairs middle at some point, tightened and kept him from moving away.

"...I'm Ethan," blue hair said suddenly, breaking the silence that had consumed them. Anti's eyes trailed over to his face, surprised. _Why is he telling me his name?_ , "Uh, sorry. I just... realized we hadn't introduced ourselves yet. A-and since I was thinking about inviting you to stay here till you could find a place of your own-"

"You want me to stay?!" Anti's eyes were wide as he looked down at the shorter man. He knew he needed to get going, that he did, in fact, have a home. And that Dark and the others would be expecting him back sooner or later... _then again... they wouldn't be overly worried if I didn't show up for a few days..._

"U-uh, well... yes? I mean, only if you want to, of course! I wouldn't force you to! B-but, well... you don't have a home, and I would enjoy the company. S-so it's a win-win... right?" 'Ethan' swallowed nervously and Anti nodded his head. It made sense...

He smiled and brought Ethan closer, hugging him in thanks. Then he pulled away and smiled wider.

"Why don't we get something to eat?" he asked, "I mean, your box looked pretty empty..." Ethan smiled at him as well. Anti found he enjoyed that smile, it was as bright as the sun, and it filled him with those strange happy butterflies.

"Yeah, just let me grab my keys and jacket and we'll head out," blue hair said with a nod. Then he disappeared from the room, only to return moments later with his jacket, dangling a set of keys off his finger, "Ready to go?"

Anti nodded his head and the two left the apartment. As they were walking, Anti couldn't help but look around. They'd been through here maybe an hour before, hour and a half at most, but at that point, he was very out of it. So now he was putting it all to memory, so he could find his way back alone if the need arose.

As they walked through an alley, Ethan had called it a shortcut, blue hair paused and looked at him with a confused smile.

"Hey, I told you my name. But I don't think you told me yours. And I don't just wanna be calling you 'green hair' and 'blue eyes' for the rest of our lives," Anti froze, not only because Ethan had said _the rest of OUR LIVES_ , but for the fact that he asked for a name.

Anti's name was... well it wasn't normal. His birth 'name', 5E4N, left a sour taste in his mouth. He hadn't used that name since he was five, and he never wished to have it used again. Ever. And what he went by now, 'Anti'... it wasn't a very human sounding name.

He swallowed and shook his head, subtly clenching his fingers in a panic as he tried to come up with a name. _Think Anti, think!_ Then he took a slow deep breath and smiled as he turned to face Ethan a little more. His voice was steady as he spoke.

"I'm Jack."


	4. Doggo At the Mall

The two had spent the rest of the day together. Ethan loved it, being able to spend time with another person, not over the internet. He really enjoyed showing the Irishman around town too, his reactions to many things were... well, it was as if he'd never seen something like it before.

And coffee, Jack couldn't seem to get enough of it. And Ethan was happy to provide as much as he could with his limited amount of money. He couldn't help but chuckle as he watched Jack's eyes go wide over a little plush dog he found at the mall.

"You want it?" he asked, smiling lightly. Jack's eyes traveled up to his face. His face was filled with confusion. Ethan pointed to the dog, lifting it into his hands and holding it out to Jack, "You want the dog? We can get it if you'd like."

"Oh, no, I couldn't do that! You've already bought me enough already!" Ethan chuckled, still holding out the dog to the other man.

"Come on, it's not any more expensive than you're coffee."

"Bu-but, I really don't need the dog. It's not needed, so it's not worth buying," Jack's voice sounded more like he was repeating something than actually stating his thoughts. Ethan just shook his head and kept the dog in his hands.

"Let's go pay, then. We've got everything we need from this place anyways," he said, very purposefully _not_ putting the dog back. Jack obviously liked it. And it also seemed the guy hadn't gotten much of what he wanted, or liked, during his lifetime.

"Aren't you going to put the dog back?"

"Nope."

...

Anti was taken by the small dog toy immediately. It was small and soft, and very cute. But he knew he couldn't have it, so he stared at it for a few moments, imagining what it would be like to have the pleasure of being able to get whatever one wanted.

And then Ethan was talking to him, asking him if he wanted the dog. And of course he did, but he wouldn't. Ethan had already bought him _two_ of those coffee things. He wasn't risking asking for a third thing.

"Come on, it's not any more expensive than you're coffee."

"Bu-but, I really don't need the dog. It's not needed, so it's not worth buying," Anti repeated what he'd been told by Dark for as long as he could remember. _Get the necessities. We don't get what we want, it's not worth it. It'll be too much, and we'll end up getting less of what we need._

"Let's go pay, then. We've got everything we need from this place anyways," blue hair said, tucking the dog into a space in the cart that held food and drink. Anti blinked a few times, before opening his mouth in confusion.

"Aren't you going to put the dog back?"

"Nope," Anti frowned and trailed Ethan like a confused puppy.

"But it's money..." he trailed off, hoping Ethan would come to his senses. He knew Ethan didn't have much money to be spending. He should be focused on buying the needs for himself, not the little things Jack wanted.

"I know, but it's literally a buck fifty. It's not much since it's only the one. Besides, you want it, right? So, I'm being nice and giving you something you want." Ethan said as they made their way to the cash register. The cashier looked at them strangely, especially since Anti kept complaining about Ethan _really not needing to buy the dog. It's just a toy, he doesn't need it. It's okay, he can leave it._ And Ethan was just shaking his head fondly!

When Ethan had paid for everything, including the dog, he turned to him with a smile. He had the dog held in his hand, now outstretched to Anti.

"Go on, it's yours now," he said, his voice sweet. And not the silky sweet that Dark tended to use on his various victims, nor the overly sweet voice liars use when they try to make something sound better than it is. No, this was kind, honest.

It made him blush as he reached for the dog and shakily brought it closer to himself. He smiled a little, _no one's ever done something like that for me..._

"You two are a cute couple," the cashier said with a smile. Anti's head tilted in confusion at the final word, and he noticed from the corner of his eye that Ethan was blushing hard.

"Oh, no, no. We're not- we aren't- no. He's just a friend- I" Anti decided to cut off Ethan's blubbering. _A couple is when to people do out together, right? Well, we're two people, and we're out together... Why is he saying no?_

"Why are you saying no?" Anti said suddenly, blushing as he did so because he hadn't meant to say it out loud. Yet, anyways, "We're going out together, aren't we?" he tilted his head a little as Ethan's head shook a bit.

"Oh, Jack... you have so much to learn, you little potato," Ethan said, laughing awkwardly afterward. Then, Ethan flashed a small smile to the cashier, grabbed Anti's hand, and pulled him from the store.

"Why did you say we weren't together? We are, aren't we?"

"Jack, by saying we were a cute couple, the cashier thought we were together, together." Anti's face remained blank. He was confused, weren't they together? They'd been in there together, walking around together, "They thought we were a couple. Like, dating."

Anti's eyes widened, he knew that word and knew it was definitely not what he was doing with Ethan. Maybe he did want- no, he didn't need to. That would just cause unnecessary complications. He barely knew the man. He was going to kill him! _...Probably... Maybe..._

"O-oh," he said, blushing. He saw Ethan nod his head, a blush lighting up his face too. _It's kinda cute- NO. No more distractions! You're going to stay and toy with this guy a few extra days, kill him, and go back to the house._

He subtly nodded to himself at his plan. He could do that. He just... had to keep himself from getting attached. Just because he's the first being to treat him the way he was treating him... it didn't mean he could get attached.

He smiled a little to himself, though, noticing Ethan was still holding his hand. He didn't mention it though, and instead, he gave it a small squeeze before he saw something glittering in a store window and pulled Ethan behind him.

In his mini-rush to get to the store window, he missed the other guy walking towards them. Or, he did, until said guy ended up ramming into his side, hard. Anti was knocked to the ground, Ethan toppling on top of him.

The stranger looked at the pair, disgusted, noting their entwined hands.

"Faggots," he said, with a roll of his eyes before walking off. Ethan rolled his eyes in response, flipping the bird towards the guy. Anti tried to get up but ended up gritting his teeth and flopping back down. In all the excitement, he'd forgotten about his side area.

"Ghaaahhhh, fock..." he mumbled, slipping his hand under his shirt. The hole that'd been there earlier had closed up majorly, but he could still slip his fingers into it. When he pulled his hand away, his fingers were covered in blood. He was pretty sure the guy's elbow had pierced the area, so to speak.

"Oh holy mother of shit," Anti looked up, wiping his hand on the inside of his shirt so it wouldn't be seen. Ethan's face was pale, and his hands were immediately on his side, "Did he stab you or something?! Jeezums, you've got a hole in your side!"

"...Yeah, no. He didn't stab me, he just irritated the wound is all. Must've bumped it with his shoulder or something," he said, giving Ethan a look that said he was fine. Though he didn't remove the others hands.

"So you're telling me you've had a hole in your side this entire time?! How could you not tell me? How are you not screaming in pain? Cause lemme tell ya, if that was me, I would not be moving, my gods," Ethan spoke fast, his eyes widening a little. Anti figured this was his way of calming down a little, though he didn't understand what he was freaking out about. It was just a little hole...

"Yes... sure, that's what I'm telling you. It's better now though, it was much bigger when we were at ho- at your place," he said monotonously. He cursed himself for almost calling it 'home'. It wasn't home, it could never be home, because he didn't, and would never, have a home. It wasn't supposed to be a part of his life, and it never would be.

"WHAT?!"

...

Jack was pouting and crossing his arms on the couch. Ethan couldn't help but find it adorable as he walked in with some gauze and medicine. He had some liquid disinfectant stuff for the wound too.

"Okay, now you're going to sit still while I patch this up. And don't give me that 'I can heal quickly, it'll be fine by morning' bullshit. Even if I did believe you, which, quite frankly, I don't, I still wouldn't let you even think about going to bed with an open wound."

He could practically _feel_ Jack rolling his eyes at him. He didn't care, and instead, he handed the puppy toy to him, before taking the cap off the disinfectant, "This might hurt a little," he explained.

He then began to pour the medicine across the wound, which was a small hole in Jack's side that was about the size of a quarter. He couldn't help but wonder how, or where, Jack got it.

"I was in a fight, the guy was powerful. What'd you expect?" Ethan blinked up at Jack.

"How did you-"

"You looked curious, and you were staring at it."

"...oh." Ethan blushed lightly, before focusing back on his task of fixing the other male pouting like a child on his couch. He shook his head and continued trying to clean the _fucking hole in Jacks side, like holy fuck why is he not freaking out?!_

When he finished, Ethan pulled back with a sigh. He looked at his work and smiled proudly to himself. _That looks pretty good! I think I did a good job at the bandages..._ He looked up at Jack's face still smiling. The green haired man was blushing lightly, staring at him with wide eyes.

"What?" he asked, confused by the look he was receiving.

"D-do you have any idea how close you were?!" Ethan chuckled, Jack's voice was coming out like a little squeak and it was adorable. He shook his head as Jack started moving his hands close together and moving them around where Ethan's head was all the while squeaking and making other confused yet cute noises.

"You're adorable."

"...w-what?" _Shit. I said that out loud._

"U-uh, I mean-"

"You think I'm adorable?!" Jack's face was as red as a balloon, his voice was... confused, squeaky, and surprised. Ethan chuckled some more and nodded his head, he shifted closer to Jack and patted his floofy green hair.

"Yup. Adorable," Jack looked at him with wide eyes, but... it was almost as if his skin was... moving? All of a sudden Jack went really, really pale, "Are you alright-"

"I- I have to go to the bathroom," Jack's voice stuttered, and he practically launched himself from the couch to the bathroom door.

"Be careful! You could make your wound bigger!" Ethan called after Jack, staying at his spot on the couch. He didn't think much of it, _It's probably just his wound bothering him a bit, or maybe he just REALLY has to go..._


End file.
